Chapter 15
CHAPTE
15
My heart stopped for a moment.
The words hit me like a physical blow. My knees buckled, and I grabbed onto the nearest chair for support, my vision blurring as tears welled up in my eyes. “No..” I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. “No, that can’t be true.. she was fine, she–wasn’t sick. What happened?”
Ruby stepped forward, her face crumpling as she tried to keep it together. “I’m so sorry, Iris. It happened so quickly… she just–Her voice broke, and she swallowed hard, unable to finish
My chest felt like it was caving in, and a sob tore from my throat I shook my head in disbelief. There was no way Violet was suddenly dead. We hadn’t even met since I returned to the pack, I’d only catch a glimpse of her at the mating ceremony the previous day but we never got the chance to talk.
“What?” The word came out breathless, barely audible, as my chest tightened with a crushing weight. “No.. no, you must be wrong. Violet isn’t dead, she can’t die like that. Do people just fall and die?” I asked in a tone of disbelief. There was no way she was dead. Ruby is wrong. The seer definitely mentioned that it wasn’t until the lunar eclipse that people would start dying or did I hear her wrong?
But Ruby didn’t speak again, just lowered her head as fresh tears fell. That’s when it hit me, and the panic took over. Violet can’t be dead. She can’t be. I bolted past her, my heart pounding in my chest but before I could open the door, Ruby stopped
- me.
“You can’t go out in just towels,” she reminded me and I looked down at my body before rushing to the closer where I picked.
the first gown I saw, changed into it and hurried out of the room.
up
my vision
It was as if I flew to the clinic because I met myself there in the next instant. My breath came in ragged gasps, and my blurred as tears threatened to spill over.
She can’t be dead. She can’t be..
I pushed through the doors of the clinic with all the strength I could muster, my body moving on instinct, desperate to find her. And there she was, at the end of the room, lying there, still and pale with the doctor staring at her.
“No,” I whispered, rushing to her side. “No, please..”
1 grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. Her skin was cold. Too cold.
“Wake up,” I begged, my voice breaking. “Please, wake up! Violet, you can’t die.”
In no second, I felt a movement in my hand and as I fluttered my lashes and looked up at Violet, a soft murmur escaped her lips, and my eyes widened in disbelief. Her eyelids fluttered, and slowly–agonizingly–she opened her eyes. I gasped, relief flooding my entire being as I saw her chest rise and fall.
She was alive. Barely, but alive.
I leaned over her, pressing her hand to my chest. “Thank the moon.”
But before I could even process what had just happened, a chilling laugh echoed through the room. My blood ran cold as I turned to see Devlin standing at the doorway, a devilish smirk spread across her face.
“Well, well, well,” she sneered while clapping, taking a step forward. “Isn’t this just precious? The great Luna rushing to save her “dear friend, while the rest of the pack continues to suffer. Many have been lying here in pains but you never cared about them but immediately you heard your friend is dead, you came rushing down.”
20:16 Thu, Nov 7
Chapter 15
1 blinked, still holding my friend’s hand. “What are you talking about?
Devlin’s smirk deepened. “Oh, don’t play dumb, Iris. You rushed here, dropped everything to save her, and look at that- she’s alive. Almost like you’ve been hiding your healing powers all along. Violet was dead some minutes ago and immediately you touched her, she suddenly opened her eyes. What does that say? It shows you’ve been pretending all along.
Her words stabbed into me like knives. “That’s not true. What the hell are you saying Devlin?”
“Isn’t it? Look at her calling my name like we are of the same class” She raised an eyebrow. “The entire pack is sick,
o survive, and yet you magically bring her back to life? What a coincidencel” She made a dramatic gesture of
turning around with hands wide open before facing me again, “Or maybe it’s not a coincidence at all. Maybe you’ve been keeping your powers for yourself, only using them when it benefits you. How come you couldn’t heal the sick and yet you can bring the dead alive? Make it make sense to me.”
“That’s a lie!” I shouted, standing to face her fully. “I didn’t even know-
“Oh, please.” she cut me off, her eyes flashing with cruel delight. Do you think the pack will believe that? You’re the Luna now, remember? They expect you to protect them, to “heal” them. And yet, here you are, healing your best friend
while they be in bed, waiting for help that never comes.”
Her words were like poison, and I felt the weight of guilt pressing down on my chest. “I didn’t heal Violet. She’s still as sick as everyone here. Maybe she only fainted earlier and you concluded that she was dead. No matter how much 1 look at it, I can feel you planned this whole thing
Devlin stepped closer, her lips curling into a sneer. “You can deny it all you want, but they’ll never see you the same again. You can try to cover it up but you’re nothing but a selfish little girl playing Luna, and you’ve just shown everyone exactly, where your priorities lie. You intentionally forced the Alpha to marry you and yet, you want everyone to die…”
“And what will I gain from that?” I cut her short and she lifted her shoulders in a half shrug
“Who knows? You’re the only one that knows the answer. Face it, Iris. You’re not their savior. You’re just a coward who can’t handle the weight of being Luna. You’re just a thief who wants what doesn’t belong to you. You’re a manipulative and ambitious person,” she spat and I glared at her.
I stood there, speechless, as her words sank in. The truth was, I had saved my friend. But I hadn’t known how, or why. And now, Devlin was twisting that into something ugly, something I couldn’t understand. I could feel the eyes of the other pack members in the clinic on me, could sense the doubt forming in their minds.
Devlin’s laugh echoed once more. “The only way we can believe you is if you prove yourself. If not, it’s obvious you’re just deceiving everyone here.”
I clenched my fists, feeling the surge of anger and frustration welling up inside me, but I couldn’t find the words to fight back. I just stood there, trapped by her accusations, while the doubt grawed away at my soul.
“Watch your b
back” She dashed me a scowl before sauntering off while I glared at her retreating figure.
I turned back to Viol
and she forced a small reassuring smile.
“She’s burning up,” I murmured, my stomach twisting in knots. It’s the illness, isn’t it? I looked up at doctor, who nodded slowly, her face etched with sorrow,
“Yes. I think she’s just fallen victim to it, Iris. I’m so sorry for concluding that she died when she was only unconscious, she apologized and I shook my head.
It’s fine. It’s not your fault. I know this was planned by Devlin, she manipulated all of you,” I said. It was apparent Devlin had planned the whole thing just to disgrace me in front of the sick pack members and sow a seed of doubt in them. Her hand was written all over this.
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Chapter 15
“Luna Iris…” Violet started, her voice was faint, barely more than whisper, but I leaned in, clutching her hand tightly.
Just call me Iris. I’m not fit to be Luna,” I told her.
“You have to… get your healing powers”
I will. I whispered, tears slipping down my cheeks. “I swear, I’ll and a way to save you. Just hold on a little longer.”
LUDE
But as I stared at her fragile form, the weight of that promise crushed me. How could I save her when my healing powers seemed so far out of reach? How could I protect her from something I didn’t even understand? I just hope the seer returns with clear directions before the end of the day.
